This blog is intended to keep family and friends updated on our current adventures

Monday, January 26, 2009

SO YOU LIKE SWAP MEETS

We had to go somewhere, so why not Quartzsite, Arizona. Most of the year Quartzsite is a place to get gas on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and San Bernardino. It’s not the kind of spot you would want to take your summer vacation in, but in the wintertime it’s a different story. The town has about 3400 persons living there year round, but come the cooler time of the year and the population swells to around 100,000. Most of these temporary residents bring their RV”S and camp in the open desert around the town. The Bureau of Land Management has areas set up with some limited facilities for RV’ers, like trash collection sites and dump stations. You can stay for free if you’re not there longer than 14 days, but for longer stays you must buy an annual permit. The vast majority of the temporary residents are snowbirds escaping the winter weather of the north. Besides all of the northern states being represented there is a huge contingent of folks from Canada.

So, what’s the attraction? Well, besides the warm weather and a cheap place to stay, it’s swap meets. While we were there they had an RV show with hundreds of new and used RV’s for sale. Also big is the Gem and Mineral Show. There are vendors there selling rocks from all over the world. So many rocks they come in 55 gallon steel drums hauled into town on semi-trucks. Want to by some crystals? This is the place. Want to buy just about everything else under the sun, you’re in luck. From socks to damaged can goods, to tools to antiques to just plan junk, they’ve got it here. How about an auction selling items that were returned to Bass Pro Shops. It took us four days to go through all the swap meets which is why we stayed for 5 nights.

What did we buy, you ask? Mostly a bunch of stuff we didn’t need, but it being such a good deal, it just couldn’t be passed up. For Cathie, a new sweater at the auction for $2, of course some gems both from the auction and from one of the rock swap meets. Also she likes Rice Checks so for $1.50 a box we purchased several. As for me, a couple of files for a buck a piece, baseball caps, 4 for a dollar (new but defective) and for both of us, 8 X 10 wooden picture frames at $1.50 a piece (we bought eight). This list does not include all the other stuff we bought that we’ve already forgotten about. We’ll come across it someday and wonder where “that” came from.